Jane twone or oyster max?

[Rhubarb78]

hi, I have posted quite a bit on here lately in my quest to find a good tandem for ds and dd due in July. Ds will be 16 months when dd is due. I saw both of these yesterday and like them both but I am just not sure which one to go for. The Jane feels lovely to push and is light and has the added bonus of the carrycot/ car seat but is about 200 quid more expensive than the oyster. The oyster is a lovely looking pram and probably has a better recline on the second seat than the Jane.
I suppose what I need/want is a compact tandem that is not too heavy and will last until ds is no longer needing a pushchair or at least could manage with a buggy board. It is for use in a city with a small car so needs a compact fold. My max budget would be £700 and that would have to include a car seat, rain cover etc. My worry with both prams is that ds didn't look to have much headroom in the second seat and he is only just 1 and on the 25th centile so not big at all. Does anyone have any experience with these prams? Thanks in advance

I've got a twone and used a max, oddly i disagree about the second seat recline, i think the twone is a lot better. However i would guess the seat is shorter than the max second seat though. It depends in purely that sense, who would be sitting where and when. When i got my twone dc2 was 2y5m and dc3 was 5m, the elder one sat up top, the baby in the lower seat so she could recline when required. BUT the oyster max ultimately wins on combinations because you can recline the baby on top up to the age of 1 approx whilst the lower child still has some space. The baby that needs the recline has to go underneath on the twone, there isn't really another way. You can recline the top seat flat parent facing with a child in the lower seat but it's not an approved position.

You have a smaller age gap though, people will vary in their opinions of who is best sitting where. I guess if it had been me I would probably not have had my 16m old elder child in the lower seat because although the view is fine they will be a full time rider at that age and i'm sure the upper seat would be a lot more fun for them. It's different with a 2 year old and older, it makes more sense that they take the lower seat as they don't tend to be riding full time. So if i had got an oyster max for a 16m gap i'd have bought a carrycot too.

To push and fold i prefer the twone, it's bouncier and more compact folded. Despite the claims i think both tandems will be very similar weights as the twone is heavier than it claims (i got on the scales with it last week and made it 14kg or thereabouts, perhaps a little less).

I'm not kidding myself though, i have loved the twone and used it daily but if the oyster max had been released last feb instead of this one i would have been there like a shot

www.bestbuggy.co.uk/2013/01/babystyle-oyster-max-vs-jane-twone/

HTH :)

Thanks for your very helpful responses. ihateparties am i right in thinking that the main seat can go on the bottom and recline fully in the twone? I really prefer a carrycot to a flat pushchair seat for a newborn to be honest but my car is small and to fit us all in there would be no room for a carrycot which is why i like the thought of the twone with the matrix car seat/ carrycot. i was thinking matrix on the bottom and main seat on the top for a few months, do you think that would work? I suppose by the time i bought a carrycot and car seat for the max the cost would be similar for both prams. i think i am siding towards the twone for the carrycot option but there is no doubt that the max is much nicer looking and i do like the parent facing younger child option. aarrrggh, for ds i looked at a pram, bought it and its fine, it seems so much more complicated buying a pram for 2!

It IS more complicated. The Twone main seat can go on the bottom, as in fits, it's not safety approved to be there but the bottom seat can't go on the top so it doesn't really get you anywhere unless you happen across a 2nd main seat and cheat like i did...

Main seat on top carrycot on bottom is your only option I think, that's how it is supposed to work. I never had the matrix so I don't know how long it's viable to continue using it. As it is lie flat and sit up I suppose I assumed you could sit it up on the pushchair too for as long as you were using it in the car but that is an assumption, I've never seen a picture or anything.

What did you think of the Twone in seat/seat mode? With the lower one upright the seats are much closer than the Oyster Max. In reality you will probably use the pushchair for longer in this set up than in newborn/toddler set up so perhaps that is the more important part?

The seat/ seat mode looked ok but the bottom seat was reclined I think (as in the zip wasn't done up) I put ds in the bottom but its hard to judge because he is only just 1 so is likely to be much bigger by the time i will be using it like that. Maybe I need to see if the max will fit in my car with a carrycot. I am not sure if you can use the car seat sat up on the frame, would have to look into that one too. do you think the max is better because of space between the 2 kids? Also, do you think they would both last until ds is walking full time or at least walk/ buggy board?

Yes I think they will both last I'm confident of that. Suspect the Max would be a lot better with a board than the Twone is. The Twone has the chassis movement at the centre joint, I found putting a board on changed that somehow.

I don't know in essence, we have diffferent needs. I'm pretty sure that of the two I would have chosen the max but based upon looks and the baby lying flat facing me, which I would have preferred. I'm never in the car though, walk everywhere plus my elder child was older and I have another crazy one on foot to keep track of. The wider spaced seats do make things easier once you are using it in that mode.

The fold of the Twone means it is easier to fit in a smaller car, the Max is alright, good for a tandem in that it's quite short but a lot bulkier than the Twone.

The pushchair oracle that is tiggy kinda hated her Twone, she may be along with some thoughts soon.. along the lines of cop on and buy an Oyster Max probably

thanks for all your help, i think i need to go back to the shop and have a play with both of them including trying to fit them in the car. I was pretty sold by the max till i pushed the twone and it did feel a lot nicer to push. at least i have narrowed it down to these two

LOL re being the pushchair oracle lol

I have only quickly read this, but have you twigged that the lower seat of the Twone has 2 recline mechanisms - there is the zip, but the seat also tilts, so you have a choice of either recline or can use both to give a maximum recline. There's no doubt the Twone lower seat recline is better than the Oyster Max lower seat one.

With both pushchairs with a carrycot your baby would go underneath. However with the Oyster Max you can put a newborn in the upper seat parent facing. This does compromise on the space of the lower child though.

So with your eldest on top, there's plenty of space for your eldest in both seats. What I struggled with, was access to the Twone lower seat, but in carrycot mode this shouldnt be as much of an issue. But I couldnt even get my hands between the bars to wipe an upright child's nose, let alone posset from a laid down baby. I know parties didnt see it as an issue, but trying to get the lower child out in an emergency really is a bit of an ordeal as the top seat needs to be remove. The Max seats are much better for spacing and access. I like the footrests on both pushchairs for the lower child. There's loads and loads of photos on Best Buggy of children in both pushchairs along with reviews.

The Twone has the more compact fold really, however the Oyster chassis is quite open in the middle, so it depends how you put it into your car. The Oyster seats can be folded or open (I find its better to put one folded and one open or else they roll off each other) whereas the Twone seats nest - but one is a rigid L shape, which caused me a few issues.

The Max is great with a buggy board on.

I think putting them in your car would help you. But DO think through how you will get to the lower child in the Twone. Also look at basket space - the Max wins here - because you will need at least space for a raincover (huge thing on the Twone with no storage for it) or changing kit for the baby.

I prefer the push of the twone too, I expected to fall in love with the Oyster Max when it finally arrived but it just didn't happen, I suppose in part because I had got on pretty well with the Twone.

On the plus side I don't think you would have major problems with either, just be aware of the seat/seat set up on the twone.. there are various photos on best buggy with different age children in it.